Tuesday, 28 September 2010

What's the weather been like in the garden?Beautiful spring days, just the thing to get out and busy in the garden.It was interesting to note that this week's lowest minimum and highest maximum temperature occurred on the same day. Well I thought it was!

Potted up from volunteers in the garden: CedronellaSageLemon BalmNew Zealand SpinachApricot

In the Garden This week:As you can see from the list above lots of potting up of cuttings taken earlier in the year. As the seedlings grow their first true leaves it's time to pot them on too! I'm running out of room to put them all but it seems our frosts might be over. Maybe.No planting outside just yet...that can wait until mid October so the soil has a chance to warm up.I'm catching many earwigs daily in the traps so the seedlings will benefit from some extra growth before going outside to brave the weather and the bugs!!

Doc has been helping me build some new Wicking Beds ready for spring planting that will be happening very soon! Doc will be writing up a simplified step by step guide to wicking beds on his blog very soon, so keep an eye out for that.

With a population explosion in the worm farmI have finally relentedand bought a stacking type of worm farm.

I set it up as per the (very helpful) instruction booklet.

The worms seem very happy with the result!

This Purple Sprouting Broccoli...isn't purple???

Weekly Harvest Tally:Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.Broccoli Purple Sprouting***72gPeas Roi de Carouby Snow***185gLettuce Green and Red mix***170gParcel***60gParsley***50gShallots Red***30gSilverbeet Mixed***95g

Eggs 8 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals17 From the 4 Barnevelders27 From the 5 Faverolles

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of our place HERE

The Parcel, Sea Celery Apium prostratum(Native Parsley),Coriander and Endivesare just about overflowing their Wicking Boxeson the back pergola.

The Roi de Carouby SnowPeas are forming...

...Strawberries are flowering...

and the Osteospermum Daisies are flowering.

Weekly Harvest Tally:Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.Beetroot Golden***150gKale Mixed***210gLettuce Green and Red mix***70gParcel***45gParsley***50gRadish Cherry Belle***20gShallots Red***30gSilverbeet Mixed***314g

Eggs 13 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals19 From the 4 Barnevelders21 From the 5 Faverolles

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of our place HERE(a new one is due soon!)

During last week's wind storm one of the Tagasaste in the old chook run split and lay precariously balanced on the back fence. Our neighbour on that fence doesn't want us to chop it down as the tree provides shade for her bird aviary. We will have to trim it back a bit but will see if it lives and whether it might cause any more damage during future storms.

The small garden bed by the back gatewayhas had most of the Oregano removedand Sugar snap Peas planted at the rear.

Lots of seedlings are now germinating out in the caravan.

I've made some more Worm Cast Brewto spread around the garden......it takes a little longer to brew in cold weather.

At The Community Garden:

On Friday Doc and I went up to the community garden while the Work Experience boys we busy putting up the gates!!!! We can now lock ourselves in!

Pathways are being definedand areas cleared for the concrete slabs,for shed and shade house!

Two massive concrete table sets have arrived.

Doc and I busied ourselves weeding the windbreak planting and I replaced a few of the smaller seedlings that had died with some potted plants I had growing at home. The rain has encouraged much weed growth. Fortunately the weeds were easily removed as the rain had softened the ground.

Weekly Harvest Tally:Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.Beetroot Golden***150gCabbage Ethiopian***80gKale Mixed***150gLettuce Green and Red mix***150gParcel***65gParsley***50gRadish Cherry Belle***35gShallots Red***30gSilverbeet Mixed***314g

Eggs 10 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals16 From the 4 Barnevelders22 From the 5 Faverolles

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of our place HERE

What's the weather been like in the garden?Our first day over 20C since May 10 this year! Mind you it was followed the next day by a top of 11C??? They were promising rain all week but nothing much fell until Friday. Yet another storm brought wind and 20mm of rain overnight...but other areas around the state (and country) suffered flooding and wind damage...again!!

The weekend brought another destructive wind storm...a large gum tree near the Dog pen has tilted closer to the ground but is still alive. This wouldn't cause any structural damage if it falls (except to other trees and old Blackie if she doesn't get out of the way) we will leave this tree in place for now.

On the other side of the yarda couple of (already dead) Tagasastes fell over.

Weekly Harvest Tally:Doesn't include Greens fed to the chooks on a daily basis or herbs picked for use in the kitchen for cooking or tea making.Broccoli Nutri-bud***75gCelery Tendercrisp***42gSilverbeet Rainbow Mixed***250gSweet Potato***200g

Eggs 10 From the 5 Farmyard Ferals (one is in full moult, one keeps escaping )17 From the 4 Barnevelders18 From the 5 Faverolles

To see how the various Garden areas fit on our half acre block check out the newest Map of our place HERE

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Garden Layout

I live in a rural township in the dry Mid North of South
Australia on three town blocks giving us a total of half an acre.
We endure extremely hot and dry summers only to be greeted with frosty
mornings during our increasingly dry winter months.
Despite this harsh climate we manage to grow much of our own food.
Water is scarce and many measures are taken to utilise every drop we
have.
Our garden beds are shaded (during summer), heavily mulched, humus rich
and most are now converted to wicking worm beds. With qualifications in both Horticulture and Permaculture I have fun experimenting with different ways to grow our food!